2018 UNDER-16 CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP- DAY 3
For a full review of the Day 3 games as well as the draws, ladders and top performers, click here.
Competition is heating up at the Under-16 Championships with only two days remaining in the group stage.
Pool A for the boys has seen QLD North gain some separation in the top four with hard-fought victory over WA Country as they aim to defend their title from 2016 while SA Metro have also moved into outright second spot.
NSW Metro got the better of NT but their unbeaten run came to an end in their second game of the day against Vic Country.
Trailing by ten points at half-time, Vic Country responded with a 31-point third quarter to eventually prevail by five points as Charlie Molan came close to a triple-double with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Hamish Carey tallied 21 points off the bench.
In Pool B, ACT went in as severe underdogs against Vic Metro but pushed them all the way after Alexander Toohey scored 22 points.
Ultimately, Vic Metro finished with a 16-point win though to stay on top of the ladder alongside WA Metro, who defeated NSW Country behind Tristan Jacques’ 16 points and 11 rebounds, with both teams owning 3-0 record.
Time is running out for ACT and Qld South but only a game behind fourth place, they still have an opportunity to earn a Quarter-Final berth when they meet today in an all-or-nothing clash.
In the girls’ competition, Vic Metro are continuing the state’s undefeated run but NSW Metro are hot on their tails with a 3-1 record after Alana Goodchild maintained her strong shooting in a victory over ACT.
Madison Haggett impressed for SA Country, scoring 20 points against NT for their first success of the tournament.
Speaking after their contest, SA Country head coach Trudy Ireland reflected on how her team had been handling the week thus far.
“They’re settled, they’re pretty tired,” she said.
“We lost a couple of girls with injuries very late, we lost our point guard a week out so it’s been a little bit of a time trying to settle the girls and adjust to playing without their point guard.”
NT girls assistant coach Eliza Keaney commented on the result as well.
“We just faded out, we started each quarter really well,” she said.
“Fantastic work from the girls, they did the little things but credit to the other team, they just switched on when they needed to.
“Obviously, we’re a lot smaller than some of the other states so to have these girls here is a really big deal for them, they play club basketball but this is the next level for them and hopefully we can keep developing them through.”
In Pool B for the girls, SA Metro had to fight to get past Qld North but eventually claimed a ten-point win to stay undefeated.
Their is a logjam building behind them now with Qld North, Vic Country and NSW Country all sitting at 2-1 with no room for error remaining for Tas or WA Country.
For all the draws, results and LiveStats click here.
Basketball Australia
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